the cat surveys the windy yard
the swollen creek transcends its banks
the winter ground unfolds its pinks
to dicey sky and eager bird

my coffee squirms in whorls of steam
I cup its warmth in trembling hands
it braces me for what portends
its message muddied by the cream

the sky divulges not a word
who knows the sun and what it thinks?
I nod to it and give it thanks
the cat surveys the windy yard